Living and working in the Golden Age of Cable TV in NY in the 90's.

When I first arrived in NY for a holiday in the early '90s, I knew I had found my city. There was an energy about the city that I loved. My first day, as I walked up the subway steps onto Houston Street in Soho (a very cool district back then), it was an assault on my senses in the best way, and I knew I wanted to live there. The first step was to secure a job. In those days I was a Broadcast Design Producer, which meant creating television and movie title sequences, channel rebrands, and program packages such as news, entertainment, and sports. It was before the days of email and mobile phones, so I went to Kinko’s, printed out my resume, and faxed it to seven companies. When I got home that night, five of the seven companies had left a message on my friend's answering machine to organize an interview. By the end of the week, I had my first job.

In the '90s, we witnessed cable television rise to dominate the entertainment landscape, with powerhouses like HBO, ESPN, CNN, and MTV reshaping how we consumed content. This evolution quickly overshadowed traditional video rental libraries—yes, those Friday night visits to Blockbuster soon became a nostalgic memory. Cable TV brought a new era of immediate access to a diverse array of programming right into our living rooms.

And there were big budgets to brand these channels properly. We were a tribe of Strategists, Creative Directors, Executive Producers, Designer/Directors, and Producers who traveled around the world together rebranding television channels. I worked on Saturday Night Live (so iconic and surreal - walking into the studio and onto the set). I filmed on location in NY with Mark Ruffalo for the opening titles to his TV show. Spent months in Canada Spain and Germany. So many memories. This was the golden age of cable television, and NY was its epicenter. All of my friends in New York were people I worked with - so what an absolute pleasure it was to catch up with three of my closest friends /colleagues from that time in LA this week KASUMI MIHORI David McElwaine Mark Johnston . As though no time had passed...

However, as revolutionary as cable was, it couldn't hold back the tide of streaming services that surged in the early 2000s. Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc didn't just change the game; they started a new one. They delivered a seamless, on-demand viewing experience that perfectly aligned with the fast-paced, digital-first world we live in.

Now, as a futurist at the intersection of media and technology, I'm particularly excited about the next wave of disruption—gamified entertainment. This burgeoning field blends interactive gaming elements with narrative storytelling. Beyond streaming, platforms like Twitch and YouTube are pushing the boundaries further by integrating real-time viewer interaction into their content streams, transforming passive viewers into active participants. While Netflix is looking at Transmedia entertainment, forward-thinking IP franchise owners are looking at how they can engage current and new audiences through immersive, gamified entertainment experiences.

This journey from cable to streaming to interactive experiences is more than just technological advancement; it's a cultural shift. As we continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what's possible, I'm excited to see how we can further enrich human experiences and create new ways of storytelling that are as dynamic and diverse as our audiences.

I am writing this post as I am heading to New York where tomorrow I look forward to waking up in the city I once called home.

What are your thoughts on the future of media? How do you see interactive and gamified elements playing a role in your industry?